July 28, 2010

Categories:

House Republican leadership is advising its members to vote against a bipartisan bill that would, among other things, bolster medical support to Sept. 11 victims.

The James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act of 2009, sponsored by Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-N.Y.), would provide medical monitoring to those exposed to toxins at ground zero, bolster treatment at specialized centers for those afflicted by toxins on Sept. 11 and reopen a compensation fund to provide for the economic loss of victims.

And it’s all paid for by closing a tax loophole on foreign companies with U.S. subsidiaries, Democrats said.

But according to Republicans, it’s a job-killing growth of government that wou;d create a new entitlement and waste taxpayer dollars.

The bill, if passed, would reopen the Victims Compensation Fund until 2031 — instead of litigation, victims could try to get money from the fund. Republicans are calling the extension “well beyond what is needed to take care of latent claims,” according to a policy statement from the GOP.

“Republicans continue to believe that those who responded to the [World Trade Center] attack should get the treatment and liability protection they need because they dutifully answered a call for help,” the policy statement reads.

But this bill, according to Republicans, “creates a massive new entitlement program, exposes taxpayers to increased litigation and is ‘paid for’ with tax increases and potential job losses.”